Monday

City Councilor Matt O’Malley introduced a hearing at the Aug. 1 Boston City Council meeting to explore dockless mobility in the city of Boston.

People in municipalities across the United States and the world are using new modes of urban transportation, such as dockless electric scooters, compelling governments to respond.

“As dockless bikes and electric scooters grow in popularity and appear on our streets, Boston can coordinate uniform rules to encourage innovation, ease congestion and ensure all modes of transportation are safe,” said O’Malley.

Boston could address dockless transportation to help shape this transportation option as it emerges.

The city of Boston currently has a successful partnership with Blue Bikes, a docked bike share system, while 15 municipalities surrounding Boston have adopted a separate dockless system. Boston’s contract with Blue Bikes prohibits bikeshare competition, but does not address the possibility of dockless electric scooters. Meanwhile, dockless bike and electric scooter companies such as Lime and Bird are expanding across the region and residents are using their services.

The public hearing would address the benefits and challenges of dockless transportation in Boston. Dockless electric scooters could rapidly provide residents with an environmentally-friendly form of transportation to increase transit equity for underserved areas, reduce Uber and Lyft congestion, and serve as a “last-mile connector” to and from public transit.

O’Malley represents District 6, including the neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, and parts of Roslindale, Roxbury and Mission Hill, which have areas without transit access.

“Electric scooters could give our residents an easy and straightforward experience that improves quality of life by providing essentially door-to-door transportation,” said O’Malley. “I hope we can get out ahead of this issue and craft sensible regulation for Boston that addresses the concerns and benefits of dockless transportation, looks at what other cities have done to help their residents move around, and embraces innovation so that this new form of transportation can be an option in Boston.”

The hearing order was adopted with the support of the City Council. A hearing will be scheduled in the fall.